Posted on Monday, November 28, 2011

Over a period of time, Singapore has emerged as a favoured destination for students of fine arts. “Singapore is strategically placed. It has a strong link with other countries and has a cosmopolitan culture. Historically, a lot of migration took place and the people brought with them their culture, art and music. This culture has thrived. The government of Singapore also realised that they mustn’t just focus on the traditional subjects like maths and science but also pay attention to the arts and so the government is promoting and providing scholarships to students who take up the arts,” says Shang Huai Min, vice-president, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA).

“The government has also introduced a scheme under which a student who is pursuing a diploma can avail of a scholarship for an additional year to convert it into a degree. The diploma can be done after class X and is recognised globally,” he adds.

Talking about the scholarships that students can avail of, Shang says there are three types of scholarships. “Besides the ones from the government and through philanthropy, every department at NAFA gives scholarships to a particular number of students based on their performance. For the fine arts department, if a student does very well, s/he can get a scholarship up to 4,000 Singapore dollars,” informs Shang.

To apply to NAFA, students with work experience are preferred. However, students can also apply on completing class X with minimum 50% marks and above in English from the CBSE.

This is the right time for students to take up fine arts. With technology adding new dimensions, it has evolved and many students are pursuing it as a career option. “There is a lot of scope in fine arts through the interdisciplinary avenues. These will give rise to new research and maybe new job opportunities,” he adds.